Does Big Data Mean A Bigger Target For Hackers?

The bigger data gets, the bigger a temptation it becomes for hackers. US retail giant Target Corporation must be well aware of the irony found in its name, after last week’s attack that now sees the details of around 360 million of its customer accounts available on cyber black markets.

As we create, publish and store more and more types and quantities of information online, the potential for things to go wrong in some capacity or another also increases. In 2012 alone, 160 million people were affected by data leaks, which was 40% up on the previous year. While server failures and human error account for some of the data leaks and losses, 67% of data loss incidents have been the result of hacking attacks.

Data is highly valuable, that much is obvious. The fact that people are a) trying to get hold of it, and b) willing to break the law in some cases to do so only serves to further highlight this issue. But why in that case do so many individuals adopt such a laissez-faire attitude to looking after their own personal data? In a 2013 study, 50% of UK internet users surveyed said that they never back up the content they post to social networks.